Improvement in air and water beds



G. M. WHITE. AIR AND WATER BEDS. N 184 481 Patented Nov.21,1876.

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GEORGE M. WHITE, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN AIR AND WATER BEDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,487, dated November 21, 1876 application filed September 18, 1876.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. WHITE, of the city and county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have in vented a new and Improved Air and Water Bed: and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification.

My invention relates to air and water beds, and consists in making a bed of a'series of air and water tight sacks, and in providing underneath the same a tunnel, by which any wa ter-leakage is turned into any convenient vessel set for the purpose of its reception. 7

Air and water beds are made for patients who are too weak to be moved. Their utility consists in the fact that any portion of the bed underneath the patient may be depressed, thus bringing a bed sore or wound distinctly into view, and making the dressing of the same an easy task, without moving the patient.

As ordinarily made, air and water beds have consisted of asingle rectangular oblong air and water tight sack. Thus made, the portion 01' the bed on which the greatest weight came, would be most depressed. The result of this construction and depression is the collection of water about the patient in the depressed part of the bed, causing uneasiness to the patient and other inconveniences, the water being removable only by a sponge.

The obiect of my invention is to remedy these defects, and, also, to construct the bed in such a manner that any portion may be raised by forcing more air or water into the part, or by drawing one or the other of these elements from other portions, and thus producing the same result.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a view of the bedstead, bed-bottom, bed, consisting of a se-' ries of sacks, and tunnel underneath the same. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a viewof one of the sacks forming the bed. Fig. 4 is a view of an end of a sack.

Any iron or wood bedstead, provided with slats running crosswise, may be used for supporting the bed, or, if desired, a bed-bottom, A, Fig. 1,'having cleats on its inner and lower edge, on which the slats rest, may be placed on a bedstead, the bed being placed on the slats. In the model, instead of slats, woven wire is shown, on which the bed rests. B, Fig. 5, represents one of the sacks, and Fig. 4. shows one ot'its ends. They are of sufficient length to reach across the bedstead, and their cross-sections in the middle are elliptical in form, and near their ends approach a rectangular shape, their longest diameter being ten or twelve inches, and their shortest sixor eight inches. They are made of any air and water tight material, and are provided with a suitable cock, as shown, through which they are filled and discharged of their contents. If desired, both ends of the sacks may be provided with straps and buckles, by which the sacks may be connected together. .The bed consists of a series of these sacks, indicated by the letter B, filled with air, water, or with both air and water. They are laid crosswise of the bedstead, and, if made of the size mentioned, eight sacks are a sufficient number for a bed. The tunnel C has its upper part made to conform to the shape of the bedstead, and is attached thereto or to the bed-bottom. Its sides are flat, and terminate in the pipe at.

I claim as my invention- 1.. The herein-described bed, consisting of a series of air and water tight sacks, filled with either air, water, or with both air and water, substantially as described.

, 2. In an air and water bed, the tunnel C, substantially as and for the purpose described. GEO. M. WHITE. Witnesses:

GEORGE TERRY, ROGER M. SHERMAN. 

